The present invention relates to skates and more particularly to skates with detachable shoes.
Skates designed for attachment to conventional shoes are shown in the prior art. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 25,295 of Wheeler discloses an ice skate having an extendable heelpiece for permitting the insertion of a shoe into a webbed structure with adjustable straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,446 of Tracy shows an in-line roller skate with a toe strap and an ankle strap to hold a shoe on the flat footplate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,707 of Davis et al. shows a roller skate having a bifurcated pliable, e.g. leather member with an elastic insert. The member overlies the shoe from toe to ankle, is attached at the front and rear of the skate and has an adjustable strap for tightening the pliable member about the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,111 of Nicholls describes an in-line roller skate having plastic foot straps and a heel enclosure, each of which is laced over the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,252 of Carlson discloses an in-line roller skate having a stiff non-rotatable laceable heel enclosure and a laced plastic foot covering. The heel enclosure and foot covering are slidable for accommodating different shoe sizes and to ease mounting of the shoe therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,318 of Rothmayer and U.S. Pat. No. 2,168,820 of Edstrom disclose skates having a buckled toe strap and a non-pivotable heel member having several straps which are buckled over the inserted shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,317 of Pommerening shows an in-line roller skate in which the ankle bracing support includes a strap about the lower ankle and a pivotable cradle which extends above the ankle to be strapped to the wearer's leg. A laced strap extends over the shoe behind the toe portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,929 of Gray shows an in-line skate in which a shoe is mounted and held on a pair of support plates by a toe strap and a middle foot strap, both attached by self-adhering means. A leg case encloses the lower leg, i.e. ankle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,352 of Vullierme discloses a roller skate with a toe plate and a heel plate which are telescopically extendable relative to each other. An enclosure on the toe plate substantially covers the foot up to the ankle, and the heel plate has a heel retainer with an adjustably buckled strap which passes over the user's foot and over a tongue on the toe enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,491 of Wheelwright discloses a three wheeled skate in which a shoe is attached to the skate. A toe shroud covers the toe of the shoe and presses downward thereon. In addition, the shoe heel fits in a slidable heel cup and a pivotable ankle brace is strapped about the user's ankle above the shoe.
Each of the above indicated prior art disclosures requires a relatively stiff shoe with relatively inflexible sole, in order to operate with sufficient long-term comfort. The soft padded sport shoes which have recently gained extreme popularity are not readily accommodated by the prior skates because (a) retaining forces are concentrated on small areas of the user's foot, causing discomfort, or (b) the shoe is free to twist and bend within the shoe retainer, leading to less control in operation and an accompanying loss of safety. In addition, mounting of the shoe in the skate requires multiple operations to achieve the desired alignment and tension on the shoe, if such is possible. None of the above listed prior art skates has met with significant commercial success.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,075 discloses wheeled skate-skis in which a pair of wraparound bindings are draped around the skater's sport shoes and attached to the skate with "Velcro" fasteners. However, it is known in the art that the retaining strength of such fasteners is insufficient to accommodate the high forces often generated in skating movements, particularly when the forces are exerted in a direction coinciding with the direction of movement which separates the "Velcro" components.
PCT Publication No. WO 89/03712 of Murga discloses a skate for use with a sport shoe. The shoe is retained on the skate base by a toe strap and a heel enclosure. Extending upwardly from the heel enclosure and spaced from the shoe is a pivotable leg support which is attached about the user's leg. The skating forces are concentrated in a narrow band over the skater's foot and in a band on the leg, rather than being more widely distributed over the surface of the foot.
The need remains in the art for a commuter skate having a detachable shoe, the combination of which is stable, comfortable and safe, and wherein the shoe per se comprises a useful and aesthetically pleasing sport shoe. There is a further need for such a combination in which the shoe and skate are joined and separated by the use of a simply operated buckle. There is a still further need for such a sport shoe which is easily attached to the wearer's foot with minimal effort yet is firmly retained on the foot. In addition, the need exists for a skate-shoe combination wherein the toe of the shoe is held rigidly in the skate.
The need further exists for a comfortable and safe commuter skate which collapses to a reduced size for e.g. carrying in a portable pack or storage in a locker.